
The invention relates to a printing machine with a subassembly couplable therewith and insertable therein.
A prevailing problem in printing machines is the recoupling of washing bars to a drive assigned to the printing machine after they have been removed temporarily from the printing machine for maintenance purposes. The washing bars are pushed through an aperture into the printing machine transversely to the printing direction. During the process, the pressman stands near the aperture which is formed in the operating side of the printing machine. The pressman has to push the washing bar into the printing machine with great care, because it is not possible for the pressman to monitor the coupling operation visually. The connecting elements for coupling are located on the drive side of the printing machine, the connecting elements being located opposite the aperture and, during coupling, being concealed by the washing bar in the viewing direction of the pressman. Damage to the connecting elements is not ruled out entirely, even when the pressman endeavors to push the connecting elements into engagement with one another very carefully.
The published German Patent Document DE 42 33 953 A1 describes a printing machine corresponding to the generic type mentioned in the introduction hereto. In the described printing machine, the subassembly is formed by a washing bar and a rotor of a dirty-cloth spindle of the washing bar. The dirty-cloth spindle is rotatable about the central axis thereof and is pivotable, together with the washing bar, about a pivot axis oriented parallel to the central axis. A drive for stepwise rotating the dirty-cloth spindle is arranged on a suspension device which is pivotable, together with the washing bar, about the pivot axis. Fastened to the suspension device is a guide body, whereon the washing bar is capable of being moved into the printing machine. The guide body is provided with an arm, to which there is fastened one clutch half of a clutch which serves for coupling the dirty-cloth spindle automatically to the drive when the washing bar is being moved in. The rigid connection of the clutch half to the guide body ensures that, when the washing bar is being pushed in, the other clutch half, which is fastened to the latter, always meets the clutch half, which is fastened to the arm, in an exact position relative to the latter. In the described printing machine, also, coupling therefore presents comparatively few problems, because the two clutch halves are arranged in axial alignment with one another.
For specific reasons, however, it is desirable to adopt a different construction from that described above. In particular, with regard to increasing the stability of the guide body, the latter should not be fastened to the suspension device, but instead, to the printing machine stand. In this possible construction, therefore, the suspension device would be movable relative to the guide body. Although the stability of this construction would be comparatively high, there would be a problem, inherent in the design, that, due to production tolerances, the position of the suspension device relative to the guide body may be slightly different whenever the washing bar is pushed in. The pressman, when pushing the washing bar in, would therefore have to manipulate it with particular care until the clutch halves are suitably aligned with one another without causing damage to one another. For reasons of economic production, too, there is a desire to adopt a different construction from that described in the published patent document, by making it possible to do away with the clutch quite completely, and to enable the coupling of the washing bar to the drive via other connecting elements.
The published European Patent Document EP 0 795 401 A1 describes a subassembly couplable to a printing machine and being in the form of a washing device with a washing brush. Arranged on a machine stand is a first clutch part operatively connected to a second clutch part which is arranged on the movable subassembly. The first clutch part arranged on the machine stand is freely movable and compensates for any possible bearing offset of the second clutch part which is arranged on the subassembly. The two somewhat platelike clutch parts accommodate supply lines for washing medium and water. The device is suitable for the releasable connection of supply lines of this type, but not for connecting a rotor to a drive, and therefore cannot make any contribution to solving the problem outlined hereinabove.
Further prior art is described in the published German Patent Document DE 197 37 783 A1.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a printing machine with a subassembly couplable to and being insertable into the latter, wherein a guide provided for pushing in the subassembly is can be fastened to the printing-machine stand, and is user-friendly for the pressman, particularly with regard to avoiding damage to connecting elements during coupling.
With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a printing machine with a subassembly couplable therewith and being insertable therein, the subassembly comprising a rotor mounted in a mounting which allows, in addition to a rotation of the rotor about a first axis, a pivoting of the rotor about at least one second axis which is oriented at an angle to the first axis.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the at least one second axis is oriented obliquely or at an inclination to the first axis.
In accordance with an alternative feature of the invention, the at least one second axis is oriented perpendicularly to the first axis.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the mounting is a pendulum bearing.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the printing machine includes a drive external to the subassembly, for rotating the rotor, the subassembly, when being pushed into the printing machine, being couplable with the drive.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the rotor is drivable by the drive via a releasable drive connection including a first connecting element fastened to the subassembly, and a second connecting element external to the subassembly.
In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, the mounting and the first connecting element are disposed at opposite ends of the subassembly.
In accordance with yet a further feature of the invention, the first connecting element is arranged coaxially with the rotor and is connected so as to be fixed against rotation relative to the rotor.
In accordance with yet an added feature of the invention, the second connecting element is fastened to an adjusting part of the printing machine, the adjusting part being movably connected to a stand of the printing machine.
In accordance with yet an additional feature of the invention, the connecting elements are two gear members of the drive connection for rotating the rotor, the gear members being axially offset with respect to one another.
In accordance with still another feature of the invention, the subassembly includes at least one centering device for orienting the adjusting part and the subassembly during insertion of the subassembly into the printing machine.
In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, the subassembly is a cleaning device, and the rotor is a cleaning roller of the cleaning device.
Thus, the subassembly of the printing machine according to the invention includes a rotor pivotable about at least one pivot axis which does not extend parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor. When the subassembly is being pushed into the printing machine, therefore, a pivoting movement of the rotor about the at least one pivot axis compensates for a possible position offset which exists between two connecting elements serving for coupling the subassembly to the printing machine. For example, the mounting of the rotor may be constructed as a cardan joint which connects the axis of rotation and the pivot axis to one another. The mounting may also be a ball joint, for example, if the rotor is rotated only seldom and slowly about the axis of rotation thereof.
Preferably, the axis of rotation extends essentially in the push-in direction of the subassembly and the rotor is simultaneously pivotable about various, preferably more than two, pivot axes which likewise do not extend parallel to one another, nor does each thereof extend parallel to the axis of rotation. For example, the rotor and the axis of rotation thereof are pivotable about at least two pivot axes, each of which is oriented perpendicularly or obliquely, i.e., inclined, to the axis of rotation. Consequently, the rotor is advantageously pivotable in a vertical pivoting direction so as to compensate for a vertical position offset between the connecting elements, and in a horizontal pivoting direction so as to compensate for a horizontal position offset between the connecting elements.
Preferably, the axis of rotation is intersected by one or each of the pivot axes at one point. One or each of the pivot axes also can neither extend parallel to the axis of rotation nor lie in a common plane therewith and, therefore, be offset, and perpendicular to the axis of rotation or askew to the axis of rotation.
In an embodiment which is advantageous in terms of the arrangement of a first connecting element at the drive-side and freely movable end of the rotor, the mounting is a pivot bearing, wherein the operating-side end of the rotor is mounted. The pendulum bearing allows pivoting movements of the rotor about an infinite number of pivot axes extending perpendicularly to the axis of rotation of the rotor, with the result that, as viewed in the radial direction of the rotor, any possible offset of the connecting elements relative to one another can be compensated for. Preferably, the pendulum bearing is formed as a rolling bearing, wherein the pivoting movements of the rotor into the positions oblique to or else into the position parallel to the push-in direction are made possible by a corresponding shaping of rolling bodies. Such a rolling bearing may, for example, be a self-aligning roller bearing or a self-aligning ball bearing. The self-aligning bearing may, however, also be formed as a sliding bearing, wherein the pivoting or swinging movement of the axis of rotation so as to compensate for the position offset is made possible by at least one convexly curved sliding surface and, if necessary or desirable, additionally a concavely curved sliding surface paired therewith. The pendulum bearing may also be an elastic bearing which has a bearing shell formed of an elastomeric material or an intermediate layer of elastomeric material arranged between two bearing bushings
In an embodiment which is advantageous with regard to the lightweight construction of the subassembly, a drive for rotating the rotor is arranged separately from the subassembly on the printing machine, and the subassembly is connectible to this drive via the connecting elements when the subassembly is being pushed into the printing machine. The pressman, when inserting the beam-like subassembly into the printing machine and when removing the subassembly therefrom, only has to lift a subassembly which is comparatively light without the drive, in order to couple the rotor to the drive fixed to the machine, or uncouple the rotor from the drive fixed to the machine. This makes it easier for the pressman, especially because the subassembly is often somewhat bulky and difficult to handle because of the length thereof which corresponds approximately to the format width of the respective printing machine.
In a further embodiment which is advantageous as regards coupling and uncoupling the subassembly without a tool, the rotor and the drive have interposed between them a releasable drive connection which consists of a first connecting element assigned to the subassembly and of a second connecting element assigned to the printing machine. The drive rotates the rotor via the drive connection. When the subassembly is pushed into the printing machine the first connecting element fastened to the subassembly is brought into positive connection with the second connecting element fastened to the printing machine and when the subassembly is drawn but of the printing machine said first connecting element is brought out of positive connection with said second connecting element.
In an embodiment which is advantageous with regard to the design of the mounting as a pendulum bearing with a small pivot angle of the rotor about the pendulum axis, one end of the rotor is mounted in the mounting and the first connecting element is arranged at the other end of the rotor. Very slight pivoting of the axis of rotation of the rotor out of its initial position is therefore sufficient to compensate the position offset of the connecting elements relative to one another and to displace the first connecting element into the correct position relative to the second connecting element.
In an embodiment which is advantageous in terms of the releasable drive connection as an integral part of a wheel mechanism connecting the drive to the rotor, the center axis of the first connecting element corresponds to the axis of rotation of the rotor and the latter is positively connected to the first connecting element fixedly in terms of rotation in the direction of rotation.
In an embodiment which is advantageous with regard to the displacement of the subassembly within the printing machine in the direction perpendicular to the push-in direction of the subassembly, the second connecting element is assigned to an adjusting part, via which the subassembly can be displaced and which is mounted movably in the printing machine stand. For example, the adjusting part is a pivoting lever which is mounted in the printing machine stand and is capable of being coupled to the subassembly and on which the second connecting element is mounted and about the pendulum bearing of which the subassembly is pivotable and which moves and carries the subassembly during pivoting. A displaceable adjusting part may, in other cases, also be an adjusting part which is displaceable perpendicularly to the pushed-in direction.
In an embodiment which is advantageous in terms of dispensing with a special clutch as the releasable drive connection between the drive and the rotor, the releasable drive connection is formed directly by two gear members of a gear connecting the drive to the rotor, the center axes of the two gear members not being arranged coaxially in alignment with one another. The center axes may run at an angle, for example at a right angle to one another if the wheel mechanism is a bevel wheel gear and the two gear members are two bevel wheels. Preferably, the center axes are arranged so as to be offset and parallel to one another. This is the case when the positive and releasable drive connection consists of two spur-toothed gearwheels which are brought into engagement with one another when a subassembly is pushed in and out of engagement when the subassembly is drawn out, in that the gear wheel arranged on the subassembly is displaced axially parallel to the gear wheel arranged via the displaceable adjusting part on the machine stand.
In an embodiment which is advantageous with regard to a preorientation of the subassembly and of the displaceable adjusting part relative to one another prior to the making of the positive connection between the connecting elements, the subassembly and the adjusting part are in each case assigned a centering element, the positions of the centering elements corresponding to one another. It is thereby possible for the connecting elements to be oriented relative to one another in two steps, in a first step, when the subassembly is being pushed in, a correct position of the adjusting part and the subassembly relative to one another being produced by the centering elements coming into positive connection with one another, and, in a second step, when the subassembly is pushed in further, a precision orientation of the first connecting element according to the second connecting element being carried out.
Preferably, the subassembly is a washing device and the rotor is the rotating brush roller of the latter. The already mentioned advantages of the invention and of its developments are also obtained when the subassembly is a machining or indenting module and the rotor is a tool cylinder or numbering cylinder or a driven shaft of the module.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a printing machine, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: